Page 86 of Deadly Cravings
She held too much sway over me.
When she disappeared, I’dfeared. The worst possible scenarios had gone through my head. I’d been unable to calm Jax or Asher and they were as agitated as me.
I’d never been unsteady.
But I hadn’t cared for anything other than finding her. None of us had.
I firmly shut my door.
I carefully rolled down the sleeves of my buttoned shirt and unhooked the cinch at the wrist. Jerking the clothing over my head, I carefully laid all my clothing on the end of the bed.
Bathing was necessary to clear my head and as I did so, I could plan my next steps.
A sojourn to England for a few years may do me good. And now that Ren was back, the guilt gnawing my insides at the thought of leaving would cease. We’d stayed together out of necessity, but realistically, there was nothing I could offer. I was sire to none in all the years I’d been a vampire. Put simply, I was here at the request of Imogen.
It wasn’t as if everything would fall apart without me. It would be the most opportune time to leave in the centuries we’d been together because if I didn’t, I’d cave to temptation and toss all the beliefs I’d clung to aside.
THIRTY-EIGHT
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I pushedthe shopping cart with one hand as I made my way down the cat aisle. The phone was pressed to my ear, ringing as I sought out food for Binx. He never ate and it was starting to worry me that he could get infected with some disease if he continued eating out on the streets.
“You’ve reached the shelter, how can I help?” The voice on the other end croaked.
“Hi, I’m one of the volunteers, I’ve left a few voicemails for George, but I can’t get a hold of him.” I trailed off as sniffles started up on the other end. “Um, hello?”
“S-sorry.” Throat clearing ensued. “George won’t be able to get back to you. He was found dead. He was mugged and had a heart attack.” I slowed to a stop. “I have to go.” The call ended.
George was dead?
I clicked off my phone, a little numb. This was not the sort of information I expected to get in the middle of shopping. My hand shook as I hoisted a cat food bag into the cart. He’d died so suddenly . . .
My phone vibrated, and Erin’s name flashed across the screen. She never called this late unless it was important. I put it to my ear to her already speaking. “—good news for you. I gotyour manuscript last night with all the edits completed and it looks good. I let the publishing house know we had it set to go. Turns out they lost one of their scheduled slots and want to put your release out.”
No words came to mind.
“You still there, Cat?”
“Yes,” I forced out and it sounded strained.
“I expected more excitement,” Erin chuckled. “Anyway, they’re sending over your advance.”
“T-thank you,” I sputtered.
“That’s what I’m here for, lady, to make us money. Be sure to treat yourself. Got to go.” The beep of the ended call faded as I dropped my arm. I blinked quickly. Even though I didn’t know George all that much and he honestly gave me weirdo vibes, I felt a bit bad feeling so happy right now.
But the fear that used to dog me no longer haunted me. My bank account wouldn’t be in pain for long, and I... liked someone—orsomeones.
Multiple vampires.
Their presence relieved some of the terror that weighed on me for years. They made me feel safe. Something I’d never had.
Everything had changed. Everything was different.Iwas different. Maybe now, Peter could come visit?—
“Excuse me, human?”
“Yes,” I whipped my head up with a grin ready. I was still too mind boggled to register that it was not normal to be called ‘human’. I yelped and scrambled back until the shelf dug into my spine. My elbow unbalanced one of the cat food cans and it thudded on the rubber floor.